The trio of friends Diego, Manny and Sid, return for this Disney-animated family film, “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” opening at the Kukui Grove Cinemas in Lihu‘e tonight. Just in case you missed the first one, the story goes like this:
The trio of friends Diego, Manny and Sid, return for this Disney-animated family film, “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” opening at the Kukui Grove Cinemas in Lihu‘e tonight.
Just in case you missed the first one, the story goes like this: the animals survived their big freeze, and now everything is starting to warm up.
All the animals seem to like the weather, until Diego, Manny and Sid (voiced by Denis Leary, Ray Romano and John Leguizamo, respectively) realize that the valley they enjoy lies miles away from all the melting ice.
With the threat of waves of water coming from the melting ice, the trio of friends sets out to alert everyone about the danger that is coming.
Doesn’t sound so much like a happy Disney movie, but it is.
The writers do their best to keep it entertaining.
Besides, what would a Disney comedy be without a little tragedy.
Remember “Bambi?” Even “Beauty and The Beast” and “Toy Story” had their tearjerker moments. Oscar-nominee Queen Latifah joins the cast as the voice of Ellie, a female mammoth who thinks she’s a possum.
She pops up on the screen, hanging upside down with her brother possums. Prior to that, Manny, though, started to worry that he was the only mammoth left, then was really excited to see her.
Sean William Scott voices the character Crash, and Josh Peck voices Eddie. The two are Ellie’s “brothers.” Comedian and talk-show host Jay Leno even voices a character, Fast Tony, who is responsible for telling Diego, Manny and Sid the bad news.
But despite some critiques of the movie, this isn’t a political covering of global warming.
I’m sure that with the recent craziness in the weather across the globe, people would like to somehow associate it with that, and point out that global warming has been a problem since the ice age.
But no, this is just your run-of-the-mill Disney movie, with quirky characters voiced by popular celebrities.
The funny thing is, the little squirrel Scrat could be a whole separate animated short film of his own.
Scrat doesn’t ever say anything, but watching him go around with his large golden acorn is so cute.
It’s like watching the 2002 Oscar-nominated animated short, “For the Birds,” made by the same company. Watching Scrat’s scenes are like watching old Wile E. Coyote cartoons.
The animation in this movie boasts that it’s better than the first. But all CGI looks the same to me.
Be sure to check the Kukui Grove Cinemas ad in The Garden Island for show times.
• Lanaly Cabalo, lifestyle writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 237) or lcabalo@kauaipubco.com.
